In the end of things, there was the bullpen. The pillar of strength for the team for so long, cracking and crumbling at the exact wrong time of the season. Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering could not get the job done when the team needed them to get the job done the most.
The offense? Of course they need to shoulder the blame. When the Ace on the mound is putting forth a near historic effort to help the team win, there has to be something from the offense, anything from the offense.